Inkstand.



E. DAVIS.

INKSTAND.

APPLICATION FILED 11.11, 1913.

1,1 1 3,203. Patented Oct. 13, 1914.

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Emry DGVLS,

i I limsabbovig a a THE NORRIS PETERS CO PHOTO LITHQ. WASHINGTON. D Cv :nmcrnn srnrss EMRY DAVIS,- OF BROOKLYN ,"NEW YORK.

INKSTAIND.

Continuation of abandoned applications Serial No. 710,551, filed .Tu1y'20, 1912, and Serial No. 725,118, filed Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented Oct. 13,1914.

October 11,1912. This application filed April;11,"1913. Serial No. 280,372.

particularly to what I call .my improved,

automatic, airfeed, plunger inkstand, such as that shown and described in U. S. LettersPatent granted to me on the 19th day of'March, 1889, No. 399,844; and the object thereof is to provide an improved inkstand.

of this 'class whichis simple in construction an'd'operat-ion and which will not get out of order or frequently need repair, and which will prevent the evaporation of the ink to the highest possible extent, and which involvesin its construction a vertically movable spring supported plunger by which the ink is fed into position for use, and which is adapted to be depressed by the pen point in the operation of inking the pen; and .with these and other objects in view the invention consists in an inkstand of the class specified constructed as hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention is fully disclosedin the following specification .of which the accompanying. drawing forms apart, in which the separate parts of my invention are designated by suitable reference characters in eachof the views, and in which;

Figure l is a central vertical section of my improved inkstand and showing the parts in their normal position ;F ig." 2 a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing the spring supported plunger depressed as in the operation of inking apen, and showing also i a modification in the form or construction. of the inkwell ;-'Fig. 3 a view similar to Fig. l but showing a modification thereof, and showingtheparts in their normal position;Fig. 4 a view. similarto Fig. 3 but showing the spring supported plunger depressed, as c in the: operation of inking a pen, and showing also a modification of the form or construction ofthe ink well Fig; 5 abottomhplan-view oftheoperative and removable parts of the, inkstand, de-

tached Fig. 6 a diagrammatic sectional view of the construction shown in Fig. 3, and showing the vertically movablespring supported plunger in its intermediate pos i tion, ,andFig. 7 avdetail viewof the head of an air feedtube used in connection with the vertically movable spring supported plunge1i andalso shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive.

" ln the practice iofmy invention, as shown iniIFiggl, I provide an ink well a preferably made (ofglassandhaving a fiat bottom and asemicircular top, and the top of which is provided witha large central circular opening a the walls of which are tapered inthe top ofthe well. The funnel o is also provided onit-s inner side with an inwardly directed annularlip b which, in the formof construction shown, is approximately even with, or slightlyabove, the top of the neck portion 6 of the. sleeve '5 of the funnel b, and'inone side ofsaid neck portion is a vertical grooveb which communicates at its upper end with. a port or passage 5 whicln inthe construction shown, extends inwardly and upwardly through the neck portion b and communicates with the interior thereof below theannular lip b and the-groove Z) in the side of the neck 5 and thetport or passage 5 form a vent b to permit theipassage of air out of the ink well a in the operation of the inkstand, as hereinafter described, but this vent is not an absolutenecessity, as airmay be allowed to pass. out ofithe well around the funnel Z), or the neck 6 Orin other ways, or by other means. l prefer, however, to use the vent b ;in the Jfonn shown, as it prevents the overflow of the ink onthe outer side or surface of the well under all conditions.

, Placed in the sleeve bzofthe funnel b is a.

vertically movable plunger 0- the lower end of which is open and the upper end or head 0 of which is cup-shaped in form and closed except for a central tube 0 which forms a part of said plunger and which passes downwardly through the body of said plunger to the bottom thereof, and the inner walls of the funnel Z) and of the cupshaped head of the plunger 0 are so shaped as to form a complete cup when the plunger 0 is at the limit of its upward movement, as shown inFig. 1, and the outer walls of the cup-shaped head a of the plunger 0 are beveled, as shownat 0, so that when said plunger is at the limit of its upward movement there is a thin tapered space cl between the head thereof and the corresponding inner walls of the top portion of the sleeve 5 of the funnel Z2, as clearly shown in said figure, and with which the air vent 12 communicates. The body portion of the plunger 0 fits loosely in the'sleeve b of the funnel I) so as to permit of the easy vertical movement of said plunger, and in the bottom portion of said plunger is'a tubular casing e the lower end of which is open and rests on the bottom of the ink well a, and the top 6 of which is closed except where the tube 0 passes loosely therethrough, and said top of the casing 6 forms a. support for a spiral spring f which bears on the under side of the head of the plunger 0 and on which said plunger rests, or by which said plunger is supported, and this spring normally holds or supports said plunger 1n its highest or normal position, as shown in Fig. 1. The top portion of the plunger 0 forms, in connection with the top 6 of the tubular casing e, an air chamber 7, and below the top 6 of the tubular casing e is an air chamber f and these air chambers are placed in communication by a thin annular space 5/ around the tube 0 where'said tube passes through the top 6 of the casing e, and the air is free to pass from one of these air chambers into the other in the operation of the device as hereinafter described. The lower end portion of the casing e is provided with apertures, preferably in the form of verticalslots e in the sides thereof, any desired number of which may be employed, and passed horizontally through the bottom or lower end portion of the tube 0 is a short tube 71 provided at one end with a head if and provided centrally in the top side thereof with a port 72 and the top side of the head if of said tube is fiat, as shown at 72. in Fig. 7, and is indicated in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, so that the position of said head will indicate the position of the port 72. and said tube may be easily turned by grasping the head 7L2 thereof so as to fix the position of the port h said port, when the device is in use, being always directed upwardly and being in communication with the tube 0 or the central bore thereof. The top or head 6 of the casing 0 serves as a support for the spring f, and any suitable device may be substituted for said casing all that is necessary in this connection being to provide a stationary support in the bottom of the plunger 0 which will not interfere with the vertical movement of said plunger, and which, when the parts are in their normal position as shown in Fig. 1, will permit the tube ]L to bear on the bottom of the sleeve 6 One of the objects of the tube 72 is to limit the upward movement of the plunger 0, and the relative vertical dimensions of the plunger 0, the funnel b and the sleeve 6 thereof, and the position of the annular lip b in the funnel are such that when the said plunger is at the limit of its upward movement, the topof the cup-shaped head 0 thereof is slightly below the said lip so that the annular space d around the top of the head of the plunger, opens inwardly over said head, and the lip Z) forms a guide for the pen or pen point when the latter is inserted into the cup-shaped head 0 in the operation of depressing the tubular plunger and'inking the pen or pen point, as indicated in Fig. 2, and the said annular lip If prevents the pen point from entering the annular space (Z around the head of the plunger, but it will be noted that the annular space (Z incloses the head of the plunger 0 in any position of said plunger. I also preferably provide avcap or closure device 2' for the funnel b, and this cap or closure device is, of course, made removable or detachable, and is only used when the inkstand is not in use and is designed as an aid in the prevention of the evaporation of the ink, and also to keep dust or dirt out of the inkstand.

The construction and operation of the inkstand shown in Fig. 2 is exactly the same as that shown in Fig. 1, except that the ink well a is what is known as a block ink well, the inner walls thereof being vertical, as shown at a and in this form of construction, I provide a collar is through which the sleeve 6 of the funnel Z) is passed and in which the neck 5 of said sleeve closely fits, said neck and the opening in said collar being tapered inwardly and downwardly, and in connection with the collar I employ a packingring or gasket L which is preferably composed of rubber or other suitable fibrous material and which forms a tight connection between said collar and the walls a of the well a, and with this construction, the collar 70 forms the central opening a in the top of the well through which the sleeve 6 of the funnel Z) is passed and in which the neck 6 of said sleeve fits, and it will be understood that the operative and detachable parts, shownin one of these figures, may be substituted for the corresponding parts in the other, or in other words, the operative and detachable parts of these two forms of construction are interchangeable.

All the parts of my improved inkstand except the well a, the gasket 70 and the spring f are preferably composed of hard rubber, but may be made of any desired material, and in practice the well a is filled, or partially filled, with ink, as shown at j and thisink, in the operation of the inkst-and, or in the use thereof must never be allowed to fall below the lowerend of the sleeve 6 or below the passage through the tube It, and the operation of the device will be readily understood from the foregoing description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing and the following statement thereof: l/Vhen it is desired to ink a pen, the point thereof is inserted into the top, of the plunger 0, as indicated at m in Fig. 2, and said plunger is depressed, as shown in said figure, and inthis operation the ink rises in the cup-shaped recesses in the head of the plunger and above said plunger, and the pen is inked, as will be readily understood, and when the pen is removed the plunger is moved back automatically into the position shown in Fig. 1, and this operation may be repeated as often as desired, or whenever it is desired to ink the pen. It will be under stood that there is always air in the top of the ink well, and in the above operation, as

' soon as there is any decrease in the necessary airpressure in the top of the well, to keep the ink standing in the tube 0 at the desired height, air will pass down through said tube when the plunger is operated, and out through the ends of the tube 72, and will rise in the form of bubbles into the space in the top of the well, and this operation will be such as to produce, at all times, the pressure of air in the well necessary in order to force the ink up into the tube 0 and it will be understood that when the tube 0 is filled with ink, the tube It is also filled with ink. Whenever the air pressure in the top of the well falls below the normal, the ink in the tube 0 will fall below the surface of theink in the well, and air will pass down through said tube 0 and out into the well through the tube 7t and will rise in said well and the ink will again rise in the tube 0 to the desired level. It will also be seen that in the vertical movement of the plunger 0, as hereinhefore described, the ink passes in through the opposite ends of the tube 72. and into the tube 0 and rises in said tube when the plunger depressed, as indicated in Fig. 2, and it must also be understood, thatthe tube it closes the lower end of the tube 0 in the construction shown, but this is not absolutely necessary, as said tube can be closed in some other way.

The height of the ink in the well does not necessarily indicate what the height in. the

tube 0 will be, as the height of the ink in a i the well as comparedwith the height of the ink in saidtube depends-on the air pressure inthe top of'the well, and the height of the ink in the well may-be as indicated in Fig. 1. When there is no ink at all in the tube 0 and this, as-will be understood, facilitates the passage of airdown through the tube 2 and outthrough the ends of the-tubeiz. and up into the top of the well, as said plunger is moved vertically, and as hereinbefore described.

Theobject of the vent b at the top of the ink well is to provide means whereby the excess of pressure in the top of the well, occasioned by heat or otherwise, may escape and prevent the well from overflowing. With.

the'construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and hereinbefore.described, it will be seen that the funnel Z) and the top of the plunger 0, whenqsaid plunger is in its normal position, forms a dip cup into which the pen is inserted,and the bottomof which is vertically movable, and when theplunger is depressed, as shown in Fig. 2, the ink rises above the same, according to the extent to which said plunger is depressed, but it will be understood that the downward movement, of the plunger is limited by the bottom thereof, or the tube it, coming in contact with the bottom of the well, and when the pen is removed, the spring f will at once act to return the'plunger to its normal position, and the ink above and in the plunger will flow backthrough the tubes a? and h, and this operation will be the same at each operation of inking a pen, and in the downward movement of the plunger, the air chamber f is extended to the bottom of thewell, as shown in Fig. 4:.

- The object of the thin space (Z around the top of the head of the plunger, in its various positions, is to prevent the ink that drieson the top of the sleeve 5 and the top of the plunger, from stopping or interfering with the vertical movement of said plunger, and in practice a thin film of ink forms between the sleeve 6 and the plunger and prevents said plunger from sticking, unless, the inkstand is not used for a great length of time, in which event, it may be necessary to de tach the movable parts and separate and clean them.

The funnel Z with its sleeve 6 together with the parts 0, e, f'and 7t, assembled as shown, are all removable, as hereinbefore stated, and may be lifted out. of the well whenever desired for cleaning or other purposes, or for enabling said well to be filled with ink, and in the manipulation of the device, or in the use thereof, said parts may be lifted or raised to let air out of the well, if, for any reason, such operation may become necessary. It must also be understood that the plunger-c is always held in the I operative position by the spring f, and-in any position of said plunger no ink rises therein, or into the air space or chamber occupied by said spring, and said spring is therefore free of ink at all times and cannot be injured thereby.

The construction shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is the same as that shown in Figs. 1 and 9., except thatthe annular lip in the funnel Z) is omitted, and in the normal position of the plunger 0, the head 0 thereof is held above the bottom of the funnel b by the spring f, and in the operation of inking a pen, as indicated in Fig. 4, the head of the plunger is depressed below the bottom .of the funnel, or into the neck 12 thereof. With this form of construction, the head 0 of the plunger, in its intermediate position, forms the bottom of the; funnel, as indicated in Fig. 6, but it must be understood that this is not the normal, or operative position of the plunger.

In each of the forms of construction, the tube It limits the upward movement of the plunger by coming in contact with the lower end of the sleeve 5 and in the construction shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the plunger is slightly longer than in the construction shown in Figs. 1' and 2, but the operation of the construction shown in Figs. 3 and 4 will be exactly the same as with the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and hereinbefore described, and. it will also be understood that the operative and detachable parts, shown in Fig. 3 are the same as those shown in Fig. at and said parts are interchangeable.

Although I have, in the foregoing description, specifically set out that the upward movement of the plunger is limited by'the tube 71., my invention is not limited to this function or use of said tube as other means may be provided to limit the vertical movement of the plunger, in the construction and combination shown, and the lip b in the funnel Z2 may be used for this purpose; and while I have shown and described the preferred form of my invention, it will be understood, that changes therein and modifications thereof may be made within the scope'of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing its advantages.

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In an inkstand, a well the top of which is provided with an opening, a funnel having a sleeve adapted to be passed down through said opening, a vertically movable tubular plunger mounted in said sleeve and open at the bottom and provided with a cup-shaped top having a central tube which passes downwardly through said plunger andforms a part thereof, a support within the bottom portion of the plunger and forming top and bottom air chambers therein which are in communication, a spring mounted on said support and on which the top of the plunger rests, and a short air tube passed horizontally through the bottom part of said central tube and provided with a port which communicates with the central bore thereof and which limits the upward movement of the plunger, the ends of said air tube being in communication with the bottom portion of the well.

2. In an inkstand, a well, having a central top opening, a funnel having a sleeve which passes downwardly through said opening into the well, a vertically movable spring supported tubular plunger mounted in said sleeve and open at the bottom and provided with a top having a central tube 'which extends downwardly through said plunger and forms a part thereof, and a short air tube'passed horizontally through the bottom of the plunger and through the bottom of said central tube andhaving a port which communicates therewith and the ends of which open into the bottom portion of the well.

3. In an inkstand, a well having a central top opening, a funnel having a sleeve which passes downwardly through said opening into the well, a vertically movable spring supported tubular plunger mounted in said sleeve and open-at the bottom and provided with a cup-shaped tophaving a central tube which extends downwardly through said plunger and forms a part thereof, and a short air tube passing horizontally through the bottom of the plunger and through the bottom of the central tube and having a port which communicates therewith, and the ends of which communicate with the bottom ortion of the well, the top of said well eing also provided with means to permit air under pressure to escape therei from.

i. In an inkstand, a well the top of which is provided with an opening, a funnel having a sleeve which passes downwardly through said opening, and a vertically movable plunger mounted in said sleeve and the top of which forms the bottom of said funnel and is provided with a tube which passes downwardly through said plunger and forms a part thereof,.a support within said plunger and dividing the top and bottom parts thereof into separate air chambers which are in communication, and a spring mounted on said support and on which the top of the plunger rests, the plunger tube and the bottom of the plunger being also provided with an air tube which is passed horizontally therethrough, and which is in communication with the central tube of the plunger, and the ends of which open into the well.

5. In an inkstand, a well havinga central top opening, a funnel having a sleeve which passes downwardly through said opening into the well, a vertically movable spring supported tubular plunger mounted in said sleeve and open at the bottom and provided with cup-shaped top having a central tube which extends downwardly through said plunger and forms a part thereof and a short air tube passed horizontally through the bottom of the plunger and through the bottom of the centraltube thereofand having a port which communicates therewith, the funnel being also provided with an in wardly directed annular lip, and means to limit the upward movement of the plunger.

6. In an inlrstand, a well having a top opening, a removable funnel having a sleeve which passes downwardly through and the top part of which closely fits said opening, a spring supported tubular plunger vertically movable in and closely fitting said sleeve and the bottom of which is open and the top of which is cup-shaped and is adapted to serve as the bottom of the funnel, the cupshaped top of the plunger being also provided with a tube which forms a part thereof and which passes downwardly through he bottom portion thereof and which is in communication with the bottom portion or: the well, and means for limiting the upward movement of the plunger.

7. In an inkstand, a well the top of which is provided with a central opening, a funnel having a sleeve adapted to be passed down through and the top part of which closely fits said opening, a vertically movable tubular plunger mounted in and closely fitting said sleeve and forming the bottom of the funnel and within which is an annular chamber in which is mounted a spring which supports said plunger, the top of the plunger being provided with a central tube which forms a part thereof and which passes downwardly therethrough, and the funnel being provided above said plunger with an annular lip and means for limiting the upward movement of said plunger.

8. In an inkstand, a well having a central top opening, a funnel having a sleeve which passes downwardly through, and the top part of which closely fits said opening, a vertically movable tubular plunger mounted in and closelyfitting said sleeve and open at the bottom and provided with a cupshaped top forming the bottom of the funnel and having a central tube which extends downwardly through said plunger and forms a part thereof, and a short air tube passed horizontally through the bottom of the plunger and through the bottom of the central tube thereof and having a port which communicates therewith, the funnel being provided above the plunger with an inwardly directed annular lip, and the top of the well being also provided with means to permit air under pressure to. escape there: from. i I a V In an inkstand, a well the top of which is provided with an opening, a funnel having a sleeve which passes downwardly through @and the top of which closely its said opening, and a vertically movable spring supported plunger mounted in and closely fitting said sleeve and the bottom of which is open and the top of which forms the bottomof the tunnel and isprovided with a tube which passes downwardly through said plunger, the funnel being also provided above the plunger with an inwardly directed annular lip.

10. In an inkstand, a well the top of which is provided with an opening, a funnel having a sleeve which passes downwardly through and the top part of which closely fits said opening, and a vertically movable spring supported plunger mounted in and closely fitting said sleeve and the bottom of which is open and the top of which forms the bottom of the funnel and is provided with a tube which passes downwardly through said plunger, and the neck portion of the sleeve being provided with a vent forming a communication between the top of the well and said tunnel or the sleeve thereof.

11. In an inkstand, a well the top of which is provided with an opening, a funnel hav ing a sleeve which passes downwardly through and the top part of which closely fits said opening, and a vertically movable spring supported tubular plunger mounted in and closely fitting said sleeve and the bottom of which is open and the top of which forms the bottom of the funnel and is provided with a tube which passes clownwardly through said plunger and forms a part thereof, said funnel being also provided above said plunger with an annular lip, and below said lip with a vent which communicates with the top of the well.

12. In an inkstand, a well having a top opening, a funnel having a sleeve which passes downwardly through and the top part of which closely fits said opening, a spring supported tubular plunger vertically movable in and closely fitting said sleeve and the top of which forms the bottom of the funnel and is provided with a tube which passes downwardly through said plunger and forms a part thereof, the bottom portion of the funnel being provided with a vent forming a communication between the top of the well and the interior of said funnel.

13. In an inkstand, a well the top of which is provided with an opening, a funnel having a sleeve which passes downwardly through and is provided with a neck portion which closely fits said opening, and a vertically movable spring supported tubular plunger mounted in and closely fitting said sleeve and the bottom of which forms the bottom of the funnel and isopen and the top of which is provided with a tube which passes downwardly therethrough and forms a part thereof, said funnel being provided above said plunger with an annular lip and the neck of the sleeve being provided below to said lip with a vent forming a communi- 9th day of April 1913.

EMRY DAVIS.

Witnesses:

C. MULREANY, H. C. THOMPSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0." 

